I love good baked beans, so I was astounded when my friend said they didn't particularly care for them: "too sweet."

There's nothing better than homemade baked beans and I've tried different recipes over the years. The America's Test Kitchen recipe was a winner, but I had to add far more water than they called for or I would have had a burnt brick. I generally use the quick soak method instead of overnight and discard the water to mitigate any flatulence potential. Any favorite recipes for baked beans or tips?

But I will admit that I usually pop open a can of beans >oh, the humanity< because--silly me--I didn't think of starting a pot of baked beans a half-day earlier (and I probably wouldn't have bothered, anyway). I frequently dress up the beans, particularly if they're pork and beans and not baked beans, with several combinations and permutations of ingredients: minced onions, mustard, bbq sauce, Worcestershire sauce, smoke flavoring, brown sugar, molasses, etc. Do you add anything?

I've tried a number of brands, some good, some not so good. I discovered a large can of Valley Gem Western Style Baked Beans that I bought for a pittance in a dollar store and was astounded at how good it was (price isn't everything). So let's hear about the brands you like.

I posted this on the old WLDG. My brother, who was born and raised in Niagara Falls, makes them for family dinners in Maine, where he;s been living for over 20 years and wows those Maine folks.

Grandpa LeMay's Baked Beans

Grandpa LeMay was my maternal grandfather, an old time French-Canadian and life-long bricklayer. He actually used to bake these beans in an earthenware pot, overnight, in his coal furnace. This simple recipe makes beans that are absolutely wonderful. (Incidentally, the addition of the baking soda eliminates the gas!)

Soak beans overnight, changing water several times. Add baking soda. Cook on stove top until beans are tender. Drain. Preheat oven to 300deg. Put onion, salt pork, salt, molasses and beans in heavy pot with lid. Add water to cover beans. Bake for 6 - 8 hours with lid on. Remove lid for last hour.
Note: the onion disappears into the beans.
Shortcut: to avoid the time of soaking and cooking the beans, my mother will sometimes buy cheap beans in tomato sauce, put them in a strainer and rinse off the sauce.

This has been my favorite recipe for the past couple of years. One thing I do differently than the recipe is saute the onions in the bacon fat prior to adding them. They don't cook down enough when just added raw then baked.

Drain pintos and brown meat and onion together and save the bacon grease to put in the beans. Mix remaining ingredients. Blend all and bake at 350 degrees from 30 minutes up to 2 hours, covered. The longer you bake this, the better it is.

(Cynthia's note.... I don't use as much sweet stuff and I crank up the heat a bit.)

Soak beans overnight (or precook in pressure cooker until beans are tender). Put beans and soaking or cooking liquid into 2-quart covered casserole dish. Add salt, pepper, mustard, onion and molasses and mix well. Top with bacon, cover and bake at about 300 deg. for 3-4 hours. Additional molasses, salt and pepper can be added at any time during cooking.

Notes: I take them out every 1-1 ½ hours to stir and check the seasoning. I start with ¼ cup molasses and add more until they are right. Your beans must be as soft as you like when you add the molasses, because they won’t soften any more after that.

Her original recipe called for 1/2 lb. salt pork instead of bacon. I like either, but almost always have bacon on hand.

I've never made baked beans! Well, cassoulet yes, but not the kind you're talking about. It's just not a food I especially care for, and I don't do the kind of traditional meal that wouldn't be right without it. Sorry!

My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov

Jenise wrote:I've never made baked beans! Well, cassoulet yes, but not the kind you're talking about. It's just not a food I especially care for, and I don't do the kind of traditional meal that wouldn't be right without it. Sorry!

Traditional meal? I never knew there was such a thing with baked beans (baked ham dinner?). I've usually have them either at a picnic or as a side to cold cut sandwiches, hamburgs or hot dogs. My mother used to not only eat them for breakfast, but would even make baked bean sandwiches.

Howie, I'm with you. They're great with hotdogs & hamburgers. I like them with baked ham and potato salad. My mom grew up in New England in the '20s and 30s, and baked beans (or bean hole beans) were a staple. She took them for school lunches, ate them for breakfast, and made sandwiches with them. Did you ever have bean hole beans baked in a cast iron pot in a pit of coals? Wonderful!

Linda R. (NC) wrote:Did you ever have bean hole beans baked in a cast iron pot in a pit of coals? Wonderful!

No, but when I was a kid, I had the ones my Grandpa baked overnight in the coal furnace in his stoneware pot. His recipe (see above) is very similar to the one you posted, only no mustard or pepper and a bit more molasses.